Question 1

Which of the following mountain ranges was probably created before the continental separation approximately 350 million years ago?
A) the Rockies
B) the Sierra Nevada
C) the Cascades
D) the Coast Range
E) the Appalachians

Accepted Answer

The Appalachians are the oldest mountain range in North America, having formed around 480 million years ago during the Ordovician period. They were formed during the assembly of the supercontinent of Pangaea and have since been eroded and significantly reduced in size. The other mountain ranges listed were formed much more recently and are associated with tectonic activity after the separation of the continents.

Question 2

Before the arrival of Columbus, most native peoples in North America
A) lived in large communities.
B) were more advanced than those in South America.
C) lived in small, scattered, and impermanent settlements.
D) depended on hunting rather than agriculture for food.
E) relied on horses for transportation.

Accepted Answer

Before the arrival of Columbus, most native peoples in North America lived in small, scattered, and impermanent settlements. They were typically semi-nomadic and relied on hunting, fishing, and gathering for food rather than agriculture. Additionally, horses were not introduced to the Americas until the 16th century, so they were not used by native peoples prior to Columbus' arrival.

Question 3

The earth's major continents developed from
A) a series of volcanoes exploding beneath the ocean floor.
B) the drifting apart of the original single supercontinent.
C) the coming together of numerous small islands.
D) the crashing of an enormous meteorite into the earth.
E) all of these.

Accepted Answer

The theory of plate tectonics suggests that the continents were once part of a single supercontinent called Pangaea, which began breaking apart about 200 million years ago. Over time, this process resulted in the formation of the major continents we know today. Choice A is incorrect because volcanoes can contribute to the formation of islands, but not continents. Choice C is incorrect because while islands may have played a role in continental development, they were not the main factor. Choice D is incorrect because there is no evidence to suggest that a meteorite caused the formation of the continents. Choice E is incorrect because while all of these processes may have contributed to the formation of the earth's surface features, the breaking apart of Pangaea is the primary reason for the development of the continents.

Question 4

The ancient Indian people who built such elaborate settlements as the one at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico were the
A) Cherokees.
B) Aztecs.
C) Mound Builders.
D) Creeks.
E) Anasazis.

Accepted Answer

The Anasazis, also known as the Ancestral Puebloans, were a group of ancient Native American people who lived in the southwestern region of the United States, including New Mexico where the Chaco Canyon settlement was located.

Question 5

All of the following are true of Native Americans except
A) they had neither the desire nor the means to manipulate nature aggressively.
B) they revered the physical world.
C) they believed that nature was endowed with spiritual properties.
D) they believed that humans had dominion over the earth.
E) they deliberately set massive forest fires to create better hunting habitats.

Accepted Answer

Native Americans believed in living in harmony with nature and did not believe in dominating it. They believed in the interdependence of humans and nature and the need for balance and respect. Therefore, they did not believe in having dominion over the earth.

Question 6

The Iroquois Confederacy was able to menace its Native American and European neighbors because of
A) its developed political and organization skills to sustain a robust military alliance.
B) the Iroquois warriors' skill in pitched battle.
C) the scattered nature of the Iroquois settlements, which made it difficult for their enemies to defeat them.
D) the alliance with the Aztecs and Incas.
E) its use of new weapons like the rifle.

Accepted Answer

The Iroquois Confederacy was successful in menacing its neighbors because of its highly developed political and organizational skills. They sustained a robust military alliance between the five Iroquois nations and were able to effectively coordinate their military campaigns. This allowed them to mobilize large forces and conduct surprise attacks on their enemies.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT true about the native population of the two American continents in 1492?
A) They numbered about 54 million.
B) They spoke over 2000 different languages.
C) They practiced a variety of different religions.
D) They existed almost exclusively as nomadic tribes.
E) They built elaborate cities and engaged in far-flung commerce.

Accepted Answer

While some Native American tribes were nomadic, many others were sedentary and built elaborate cities, engaged in agriculture, and had complex societies with social hierarchies. Therefore, the statement that the native population existed almost exclusively as nomadic tribes is not true.

Question 8

Native American settlement north of present-day Mexico had limited impact on the land mostly because
A) Native tribes practiced an early form of conservationism.
B) Native religions commanded minimal interference with the natural environment.
C) Natives in the northern part of the continent were not familiar with agriculture.
D) Their numbers were comparably small for the vast stretch of land they occupied.
E) Prior to European arrival, native Americans lacked the tools and machinery to significantly shape their landscapes.

Accepted Answer

The limited impact on the land by Native American settlements in the northern part of the continent was due to the fact that their numbers were relatively small compared to the vast stretch of land they occupied.

Question 9

The size and sophistication of Native American civilizations in Mexico and South America can be attributed to
A) Spanish influences.
B) their way of life based on hunting and gathering.
C) the development of agriculture.
D) technology brought by the early settlers from Siberia.
E) their use of draft animals and the wheel.

Accepted Answer

The development of agriculture allowed for the creation of surplus food, which allowed for the growth of larger settlements and civilizations.

Question 10

Mapping the locations of North American native tribes is difficult for all of the following reasons, EXCEPT
A) Tribes such as the Navajo and Apache migrated considerable distances both before and after their encounter with Europeans.
B) Maps mark tribal locations at the time of their first encounter with Europeans only.
C) First contacts with Europeans took place over the stretch of several centuries, which leads to a chronological skewing of maps.
D) Native tribes rarely knew their geographical locations.
E) In the mid-Atlantic and southeastern regions pre-Columbian conflicts had scrambled tribes into a various groups that are virtually impossible to trace.

Accepted Answer

Native tribes had an extensive knowledge of their surroundings and could locate themselves on the land, so the statement that "Native tribes rarely knew their geographical locations" is false.

Question 11

Most likely the first humans to enter the American continents were
A) Vikings from Scandinavia.
B) Spanish explorers of the fifteenth century.
C) nomadic Asian hunters.
D) Portuguese sailors of Prince Henry the Navigator.
E) ocean voyagers from the South Pacific islands.

Accepted Answer

The current theory is that the first humans to enter the American continents came from Asia by crossing the Bering land bridge during the last Ice Age, around 12,000 years ago. These were likely nomadic Asian hunters who gradually spread out and settled throughout the Americas. There is no evidence of Viking, Spanish, Portuguese, or South Pacific Islander contact with the Americas before Columbus in 1492.

Question 12

The cultivation of corn reached present-day American Southwest as early as
A) 8000 B.C.
B) 4000 B.C.
C) 2000 B.C.
D) 200 A.D.
E) 1000 A.D.

Accepted Answer

Corn cultivation reached the American Southwest around 2000 B.C., as archaeological evidence suggests that maize was being grown in this region by that time.

Question 13

Some of the more advanced Native American cultures did all of the following except
A) engage in significant ocean voyages of discovery.
B) establish large, bustling cities.
C) make strikingly accurate astronomical observations.
D) study mathematics.
E) carry on commerce.

Accepted Answer

While some Native American cultures did engage in long-distance trade, there is little evidence to suggest they made significant ocean voyages of discovery.

Question 14

The Christian crusaders were indirectly responsible for the discovery of America because they
A) were victorious over the Muslims.
B) created a European taste for Asian silk, drugs, perfumes, sugar, and spices.
C) succeeded in establishing improved business relations between Muslims and Christians.
D) returned with captured Muslim maps showing the North and South American continents, piquing their interests in other parts of the world.
E) developed an interest in inter-religious dialogue.

Accepted Answer

The Crusades increased European demand for Asian goods, which led to exploration for new trade routes, eventually resulting in the discovery of America.

Question 15

Native American (Indian) civilization was least highly developed in
A) North America.
B) Mexico.
C) Central America.
D) Peru.
E) Latin America.

Accepted Answer

While there were various sophisticated native cultures throughout North America, they generally did not have the level of political organization or monumental architecture seen in civilizations such as those in Mexico, Central America, and Peru. Therefore, North America was the least highly developed region.

Question 16

Unlike the Indian societies of Central and South America, the native peoples of North America
A) were pacifists who opposed all warfare.
B) aggressively exploited the land for agricultural development.
C) lived in relatively scattered settlements without dense urban concentrations of population.
D) practiced a universal system of stern patriarchal authority.
E) all of these.

Accepted Answer

The statement that the native peoples of North America "lived in relatively scattered settlements without dense urban concentrations of population" indicates that they did not have dense urban populations similar to the Indian societies of Central and South America. The other options are incorrect as they do not accurately describe the characteristics of native North American societies.

Question 17

The Great Ice Age led to the beginnings of North America's human history because
A) it exposed a land bridge connecting Eurasia with North America.
B) the glacial withdrawal allowed migration from South America.
C) the glacial withdrawal formed freshwater lakes that supported life.
D) rising ocean levels from melted glaciers made it possible to cross the Atlantic.
E) it prevented the migration of dangerous animals from the Bering Isthmus.

Accepted Answer

The Great Ice Age exposed a land bridge connecting Eurasia with North America, allowing for the migration of early humans and the beginnings of North America's human history. This land bridge is known as Beringia.

Question 18

Western Europeans wanted to discover a new, shorter route to eastern Asia in order to
A) break the hold that Muslim and Italian merchants had on trade with Asia.
B) reduce the price of goods from Asia.
C) gain more profits for themselves.
D) reduce the time it took to transport goods.
E) all of these.

Accepted Answer

All of these reasons are true. Europeans wanted to find a new trade route to Asia that would allow them to break the monopoly that Muslim and Italian merchants had on the trade, reduce the cost of goods from Asia, gain larger profits for themselves, and reduce the time it took to transport goods.

Question 19

The melting of the glaciers at the end of the ice age created a large lake covering
A) most of California's Central Valley.
B) the Tennessee Valley.
C) the Pacific Northwest.
D) much of present-day Utah, Nevada, and Idaho.
E) half of today's state of Indiana.

Accepted Answer

The melting of the glaciers at the end of the ice age created a large lake covering much of present-day Utah, Nevada, and Idaho known as Lake Bonneville.

Question 20

The early voyages of the Scandinavian seafarers did not result in permanent settlement in North America because
A) the Native Americans drove them out.
B) the area in which they landed could not support a large population.
C) no nation-state yearning to expand supported these ventures.
D) British adventurers defeated the Scandinavians in 1066.
E) the settlers died of disease.

Accepted Answer

The Scandinavian seafarers, such as the Vikings, did not establish permanent settlements in North America because there was no nation-state at the time that was interested in supporting or sustaining such ventures for expansion.

Quiz 1: New World Beginnings

Which of the following mountain ranges was probably created before the continental separation approximately 350 million years ago?

Before the arrival of Columbus, most native peoples in North America

The earth's major continents developed from

The ancient Indian people who built such elaborate settlements as the one at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico were the

All of the following are true of Native Americans except

The Iroquois Confederacy was able to menace its Native American and European neighbors because of

Which of the following is NOT true about the native population of the two American continents in 1492?

Native American settlement north of present-day Mexico had limited impact on the land mostly because

The size and sophistication of Native American civilizations in Mexico and South America can be attributed to

Mapping the locations of North American native tribes is difficult for all of the following reasons, EXCEPT

Most likely the first humans to enter the American continents were

The cultivation of corn reached present-day American Southwest as early as

Some of the more advanced Native American cultures did all of the following except

The Christian crusaders were indirectly responsible for the discovery of America because they

Native American (Indian) civilization was least highly developed in

Unlike the Indian societies of Central and South America, the native peoples of North America

The Great Ice Age led to the beginnings of North America's human history because

Western Europeans wanted to discover a new, shorter route to eastern Asia in order to

The melting of the glaciers at the end of the ice age created a large lake covering

The early voyages of the Scandinavian seafarers did not result in permanent settlement in North America because